With interest in tiny homes rising in the United States — both as a solution to homelessness and a sustainable residential housing choice — architects across the globe are leaning into the concept of modular living.

One innovative case study is House W, a 1,754-square-foot home designed by Florian Busch Architects in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan.

The home sits among farmlands. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

House W resides on the site of an old farmer’s barn and takes inspiration from its setting, surrounded by rice paddies and asparagus fields. Its connection to nature is also prevalent in the home’s energy efficient design, which allows it to harness nearly twice as much power as it requires every year.

“House W is FBA’s first building to generate more energy than it consumes,” the firm writes on its website.

The Furano Plateau is a prime location for the home to harvest solar power. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

“Bucking the trend to move from the countryside to the city, the clients, a young family living in Tokyo, approached FBA to design their new home on the western edge of the Furano Plateau … renown for its cold powder-snow winters and beautiful summers.”

The client planned to live in a home that was independent from the local power grid while still staying cozy and fully functional through harsh winters.

“Their plan is ambitious: A building independent from the local power grid, generating at least as much energy as it consumes,” FBA continued. “Net zero.”

The home is covered in 56 solar panels. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

To achieve this, architects finished the exterior of the home with a 56-panel solar skin that offers a total capacity of 23 kW.

The location on the Furano Plateau is ideal for harvesting sunlight, according to the designers. Instead of adding solar panels later on, like many existing structures are required to do, the designers intentionally created the shape of the home with solar performance in mind.

While it's unclear exactly how much energy the home uses, the architects say that the solar panels alone provide almost twice as much power as its annual requirements.

The windows help the homeowners regulate temperatures in various weather conditions. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

A heat pump is also connected to a nearby water source and offers constant temperature regulation year-round, as it runs underfloor heating and produces warm water for the house.

Structurally, the home is mostly made from timber and features energy-efficient glazing throughout. Inside, timber is arranged around a central glazed area to help encourage airflow, with adjustable slats in place to control sunlight depending on weather conditions. 

The home is filled with high ceilings and ample natural light. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

The form of the building appears to be two parts of a barn split open, which is a concept that emerged as a result of budget constraints. 

“Ironically, the idea of breaking a large simple volume into pieces was triggered by an initial requirement which in the end was lifted,” the firm explains. “In light of the volatile construction market, the clients had requested to study the possibility of splitting the project into phases.”

The builders ended up constructing both phases together, as well as designing a shed for storage and workshop, which was originally intended as a future annex. 

House W has a stunning view of the mountains. Photo courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

Overall, the interior of the tiny home is spread over two floors, with high ceilings and open layouts. While it is a bit larger than many other tiny homes on the market (which typically measure in at about 500 square feet or less), the design manages to meet its net-zero ambitions with ease.

“Architect Florian Busch challenges Le Corbusier’s 1923 notion of a house as a ‘machine for living in,’ suggesting instead that ‘a house is a plant for living with,’” Designboom reports. “The design concept envisions a home that behaves like a plant, responding dynamically to its environment and utilizing available resources.”

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Header image courtesy of Florian Busch Architects

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